Assessment of mechanical ventricular synchrony in Doberman Pinschers with dilated cardiomyopathy

Objectives

Loss of temporal synchrony of myocardial contraction has been shown to reduce systolic function and be responsible for disease progression in people. The objective of this study is the assessment of inter- and intra ventricular synchrony in healthy Doberman Pinschers and those with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) by use of conventional Doppler and tissue velocity imaging.

Animals

A total of 60 scans from 35 client-owned Doberman Pinschers presented for cardiac evaluation were analysed.

Methods

Retrospective analysis of data. Using the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology DCM taskforce scoring system, Doberman Pinschers were classified into 4 groups: Control (Group 1; n = 12), depressed systolic function other than DCM (Group 2; n = 9), preclinical DCM (Group 3; n = 8) and symptomatic DCM (Group 4; n = 6). The time intervals between the beginning of the QRS complex and the peak velocity of pulmonic flow (Q-P) and the peak aortic flow (Q-Ao) were used to assess global synchrony between both ventricles. The time intervals between the beginning of the QRS complex and the peak myocardial systolic velocity (Q-peak S) and the onset of myocardial systolic velocity (Q-start S) were measured at the base of the right and left ventricular free wall (RVFW and LVFW) and interventricular septum (IVS), and used to determine segmental longitudinal inter- and intra ventricular synchrony.

Results

No significant loss of global or segmental longitudinal inter- or intra ventricular synchrony was identified between the groups.

Conclusion

Impairment of longitudinal fibre synchrony does not appear to be significantly associated with clinical status of DCM in Doberman Pinschers, although it was identified in certain individuals.     

Balloon dilation of an imperforate cor triatriatum dexter in a Golden Retriever with concurrent double-chambered right ventricle and subsequent evaluation by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging

A 12-week-old male Golden Retriever was presented with signs of right-sided congestive heart failure and a grade V/VI left craniosternal systolic murmur. Echocardiography identified a double-chambered right ventricle and dilated coronary sinus (CS) running into an inter-atrial chamber. This was confirmed to be an imperforate cor triatriatum dexter (CTD) by selective angiographic studies. To the authors’ knowledge this is the first case reported of imperforate CTD successfully treated by membranostomy and balloon dilation. Cardiac MRI confirmed the echocardiographic and angiographic findings and provided a more precise understanding of the venous abnormalities.     

Comparative study of the main top-down approaches for the estimation of measurement uncertainty in multiresidue analysis of pesticides in fruits and vegetables

Practical "top-down" approaches appear to be the most suitable for the evaluation of measurement uncertainty in pesticide residue testing laboratories, where analytical procedures are routinely applied to a large number of pesticide/food combinations. The opposite approach, "bottom-up" evaluation of measurement uncertainty, leads to great difficulties in evaluating all of the pesticides in a consistent way. Among the top-down approaches, there are two main ways in which measurement uncertainty can be estimated: One is based on default values, which are based on previous extensive interlaboratory experience and the proven accuracy of the laboratory; these include the Horwitz equation or the fit-for-purpose relative standard deviation (FFP-RSD). The other is based on experimental data from the quality control work of the laboratory: within-laboratory reproducibility, interlaboratory validation, or a combination of results obtained in proficiency tests. The principal existing guidelines from various bodies (Eurachem, Nordtest, and Eurolab) all propose different approaches for calculating measurement uncertainty. In this paper, the main top-down approaches are evaluated and compared using the data from the European Proficiency Test Database for Fruits and Vegetables and the Multiresidue Method validation databases obtained from the National Reference and Official Laboratories in Europe. The main conclusion of the comparative study is that a default expanded measurement uncertainty value of 50% could satisfy all of the requirements for facilitating and harmonizing, worldwide, the intercomparability of the pesticide residue confidence results between laboratories.     

The importance of biochar quality and pyrolysis yield for soil carbon sequestration in practice

Biochar is a carbon (C)-rich material produced from biomass by anoxic or oxygen-limited thermal treatment known as pyrolysis. Despite substantial gaseous losses of C during pyrolysis, incorporating biochar in soil has been suggested as an effective long-term option to sequester CO₂ for climate change mitigation, due to the intrinsic stability of biochar C. However, no universally applicable approach that combines biochar quality and pyrolysis yield into an overall metric of C sequestration efficiency has been suggested yet. To ensure safe environmental use of biochar in agricultural soils, the International Biochar Initiative and the European Biochar Certificate have developed guidelines on biochar quality. In both guidelines, the hydrogen-to-organic C (H/C_org) ratio is an important quality criterion widely used as a proxy of biochar stability, which has been recognized also in the new EU regulation 2021/2088. Here, we evaluate the biochar C sequestration efficiency from published data that comply with the biochar quality criteria in the above guidelines, which may regulate future large-scale field application in practice. The sequestration efficiency is calculated from the fraction of biochar C remaining in soil after 100 years (F_perm) and the C-yield of various feedstocks pyrolyzed at different temperatures. Both parameters are expressed as a function of H/C_org. Combining these two metrics is relevant for assessing the mitigation potential of the biochar economy. We find that the C sequestration efficiency for stable biochar is in the range of 25%–50% of feedstock C. It depends on the type of feedstock and is in general a non-linear function of H/C_org. We suggest that for plant-based feedstock, biochar production that achieves H/C_org of 0.38–0.44, corresponding to pyrolysis temperatures of 500–550°C, is the most efficient in terms of soil carbon sequestration. Such biochars reveal an average sequestration efficiency of 41.4% (±4.5%) over 100 years.     

Evaluation of sea lice abundance levels on farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) located in the Broughton Archipelago of British Columbia from 2003 to 2005

Salmon farming began in British Columbia (BC) in the 1970s and in 2006, aquaculture represented BC's largest agricultural export. Along with this growth in production has been a growth in controversy, including the concern that sea lice originating from Atlantic salmon farms negatively impact wild juvenile pink salmon in the Broughton Archipelago. To understand the dynamic interaction between wild and farmed fish, data for on‐farm abundance of sea lice are required. In this study, 33 000 Atlantic salmon from 20 active farms were examined over 3 years. Two species of lice were found: Lepeophtheirus salmonis and Caligus clemensi. Inter‐annual and seasonal variations in abundance levels occurred with lower levels of L. salmonis in 2003 compared with 2004 and 2005, while C. clemensi levels were highest in 2003. The abundance of L. salmonis was greater on older farmed fish. The findings are compared with European and eastern Canadian sea lice reports, and possible sources of sea lice on farmed salmon are discussed.     

Hidden neotropical diversity: greater than the sum of its parts

The diversity of tropical herbivorous insects has been explained as a direct function of plant species diversity. Testing that explanation, we reared 2857 flies from flowers and seeds of 24 species of plants from 34 neotropical sites. Samples yielded 52 morphologically similar species of flies and documented highly conserved patterns of specificity to host taxa and host parts. Widespread species of plants can support 13 species of flies. Within single populations of plants, we typically found one or more fly species specific to female flowers and multiple specialists on male flowers. We suggest that neotropical herbivorous insect diversity is not simply a function of plant taxonomic and architectural diversity, but also reflects the geographic distribution of hosts and the age and area of the neotropics.     

Production of fusaric acid byFusarium oxysporum

Summary The aim of the study was to determine whether isolates ofFusarium oxysporum Schlecht. produce fusaric acid in culture and whether mycelial growth can be used as a measurement of fusaric acid production. Three isolates produced significant levels of fusaric acid in culture filtrate, the maximum concentration being reached after 18 days, whereafter it remained constant. Mycelial growth could not be used to measure or estimate the production of fusaric acid. Growth curves from specific isolates could be used to determine the concentration of fusaric acid in culture filtrate after specific lengths of time.     

Critical incidence reporting systems – an option in equine anaesthesia? Results from a panel meeting

ObjectiveTo provide a brief introduction into Critical Incident Reporting Systems (CIRS) as used in human medicine, and to report the discussion from a recent panel meeting discussion with 23 equine anaesthetists in preparation for a new CEPEF‐4 (Confidential Enquiry into Perioperative Equine Fatalities) study.Study DesignModerated group discussions, and review of literature.MethodsThe first group discussion focused on the definition of ‘preventable critical incidents’ and/or ‘near misses’ in the context of equine anaesthesia. The second group discussion focused on categorizing critical incidents according to an established framework for analysing risk and safety in clinical medicine.ResultsWhile critical incidents do occur in equine anaesthesia, no critical incident reporting system including systematic collection and analysis of critical incidents is in place.Conclusions and clinical relevanceCritical incident reporting systems could be used to improve safety in equine anaesthesia – in addition to other study types such as mortality studies.